The vast majority of computer musicians, composers and sound engineers in their work increasingly prefer special additions to the main software products, released in the form of so-called plug-ins of various formats, among which the most popular are DX, RTAS, AAX and VST. The first-born among them were precisely the plug-ins of the VST standard. We will talk more about what a VST plugin is, what types of add-ons are there, how to install them and use them in your main music program. For uninitiated users, as a starting material, we give a separate general understanding of VST technology.
What is a VST Plugin: A General Understanding
Technology VST (Virtual Synth Technology) itself was once developed by Steinberg, which was at the origins of creating additional virtual tools for use in music programs (sequencers, trackers, audio editors and studios). But what is a VST plugin in itself? This is a special addition, most often released in the form of files of dynamic libraries of the DLL format, which connects to the main program through its own host.
That is, if such an addition does not provide for the installation of an independent application that can be run on a computer as a separate program, the plugins themselves will not work. Dynamic libraries are special modules, the execution of which occurs exclusively in RAM. but in order to be able to load them into RAM, we just need the main host, which is a kind of bridge between the add-on and the computing means of the computer system.
Types of VST Plugins
Speaking of what a VST plugin is, one should clearly navigate their classification. Usually they are divided into two large groups - virtual instruments (VSTi) and effects (VST).
However, today combined plugins are more and more common, which can be used both as a virtual synthesizer and as a set of effects (for example, the universal Shutter tool). Among other things, library files are also divided by the architecture of the operating system in which they can be used (32 and 64 bits). Finally, among a huge number of various virtual instruments and effects, very often you can find complete analogues of the "iron" brothers.
Virtual synthesizers Korg, Yamaha, Roland, Casio, Kurzweil, etc. are very popular. Often you can find kits to recreate the natural sound of guitars, drums, violins or wind instruments. All kinds of samplers look very interesting, allowing you to create new sounds. You can also find players with ready-made sets in the form of romplers or players of specific formats like SF2. Especially popular are synthesizers of sounds and FX effects that do not exist in nature. In terms of effects, almost all sound processing tools known today are presented, such as reverb, chorus, flanger, phaser, compressor, limiter, delay, combined processor, instrument for processing vocals, etc.
The best VST plugins for virtual studios, sequencers and audio editors
As already understood, initially connecting a virtual instrument or effect is possible only if the main music application supports a VST host. To improve the sound or sound processing, it is often recommended to install special ASIO drivers, rather than using the primary sound drivers of the operating system or sound cards. It can be such software products as ASIO4ALL, FL Studio ASIO, ASIO Low Latency Driver, etc. But what to prefer in terms of the VST plugins themselves among all that can be found on the Internet?
Among all this diversity, the most high-quality (although not free) are the tools and effects from Native Instruments (Kontakt, Maschine, Massive, Absynth, Kore, Reaktor, etc.), software from Korg (the most famous set of full analogs of “iron” »Korg Legacy Collection, which even includes the legendary synthesizer M1), virtual Roland synthesizers, drum sets Steven Slate's Drum Sampler, Toontrack Superrior Drummer, EZ Drummer), powerful synthesizers like Omnisphere, mixing tools like EZ Mix, Wave Audio mastering kits Bundle, iZotope and SugarBytes software modules and many others.
Of all the plugins, the Kontakt sampler deserves special attention, for which the largest number of sound libraries are released. Here you have complete sets of “iron” synthesizers of different generations, and ready-to-use analogs of “live” instruments, and much more. In a sense, this plugin can even be called a kind of rack rack, into which you need to load a number of instruments that can be used even in concert performances.
The nuances of installing tools and effects in FL Studio
Now let's see how to install VST plugins for use in major music programs. What is it for? Yes, only in order to expand the possibilities of sound processing and realize your own imagination when creating musical works. But in many such applications you can find many built-in tools and effects. So why not take advantage of them? Unfortunately, VST-plugins for FL Studio look much more interesting and powerful than their own pre-installed sets, designed more for writing electronic music in various directions (this can be seen even in demo compositions). But what if you want to create a track, say, in the style of thrash metal? Where can I get a set of necessary guitars or drums? Of course, install them as VST plugins or libraries for the Kontakt sampler. But VST plugins themselves are not always advisable to install in the exact location that the installer offers.
To do this, it is best to install them either in the VST folder located in the Plugins directory of the main program, or change (add) the desired directory in the file settings, specifying your own folder, which may differ from the default directory.
After that, in order for the instrument or effect to appear in the list, it is necessary to perform a quick search for new plugins through the ADD menu, which is activated through the Refresh Plugin List (fast scan) item.
Note: please note that the same plugins with different bit sizes (x86 and x64) cannot be installed in the same folder.
Epilogue
It remains to be said that only the most general description of the tools and effects of the VST format was given above. It is impossible to mention absolutely all virtual instruments, effects and libraries, even in principle. You can find a huge number of them today, and often add-ons from little-known developers look very good next to the grandees. But, in order to choose the best quality instrument or sound processing tool, you have to experiment yourself.